


Strangers on a train

by Ambrose



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambrose/pseuds/Ambrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa keeps seeing the same girl on the tube almost daily, and with time it feels like some sort of connection develops between them. Or maybe it's just in Lexa's imagination, because clearly, she has a crush on this stranger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strangers on a train

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tveckling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/gifts).



Lexa could not really remember when it had started, but she somehow always ended up in the same metro carriage as that one stranger, from the moment she hopped in at a busy stop in the city after work, to when the cute girl hopped off somewhere in the suburbs. She chastised herself for referring to her like that but really, what was she supposed to call her? She had no idea what her name was, they were just strangers who happened to cross paths ever so often on the tube, really.

Well, not really strangers, by now, she liked to think. But then she would have an argument with herself, because how stupid do you have to be to get a crush on a complete stranger and then fancy that there was more between you and her than the simple recognition of people who cross paths daily.

But really, she felt like she knew her better than most of her co-workers, with whom she barely exchanged a couple words. Not that she'd ever talked to that girl, but you see strange things on the tube, and when their eyes met that time some dude decided it would be cool to try pole-dancing in a crowded metro, they shared an amused look, and Lexa was dazzled by the girl's blue eyes and her bright smile. Lexa definitely had a weakness for her, which she wasn't too sure she wanted to fight. There was no wrong in dreaming, after all, and it wasn't like anything could come of it. And it wasn't like it would affect any relationships she might have had, since she had made a point of having nothing more than one-night-stands after Costia passed away. She had never felt like she could be with anyone that fit her that well, and any relationship would just have been a bittersweet attempt at finding something forever lost. That would have been unfair for everyone involved. But this stranger with the bright smile, she couldn't hurt her, so...

  
  


One day, the train was incredibly crowded, and Lexa had just entered it when the girl rushed in after her, right before the doors closed, leaving them pressed against each other, and Lexa would have lied if she'd said the stuffy atmosphere of the carriage was the only reason she was so flushed.

“Sorry”, the girl mumbled close to Lexa's ear, and she could barely repress a shiver. Lexa turned her head and gave her a curt nod, all the while trying not to step on the toes of the kid in front of her, and repressing the urge to punch the guy that had wrapped himself around the pole, effectively preventing the kid from holding on to anything but his mom's leg – and apparently Lexa's too. She smiled distractedly at him, mentally cursing and counting the minutes to the next stop when hopefully that dude would hop off, because on top of it all he was practically elbowing her in the stomach.

That kid was really the only reason she hadn't punched him into better sharing the space. Well, that and the girl she could feel behind her. She cursed herself for wanting to impress this stranger, but it wouldn't really do to beat up a guy in front of this lovely person, would it. She'd probably think she was crazy – although the situation was making her feel that way too. Instead she tried breathing in and out slowly to calm herself, and noticed that besides the stinky, sweaty smell of the tube carriage, she was so close to the girl that she could smell her perfume, and she tried to focus on that. Okay, so maybe it was a bit creepy, but it was not like the girl would ever know, and it was about the one thing that smelled nice in the whole train.  
When the next stop finally came – the doors thankfully opening on the other side from them – and people went out massively, she sighed in relief and tried to find herself a seat, smiling at the stranger when she found her own place right in front of her.

  
  


When the carriage was empty enough for her to take out her sketchpad, the stranger was often drawing, and Lexa couldn't take her eyes off her, wondering what was in there, if she would ever get a glimpse of it. Sometimes, when she did not pay attention and her mind wandered, she found herself wondering if she drew people she saw on the streets, on the tube and – _how very conceited of me_ , Lexa thought – if she'd ever drawn her. When the girl looked up and caught her staring, which was more often than Lexa would have liked, she always flashed her a grin before going back to her sketchpad, missing the blush that crept on Lexa's face – for which Lexa was thankful.

  
  


Sometimes, she wasn't there at all for a few days, and Lexa wondered if she was sick, or if she was on holidays, or if something had happened to her. She wondered idly whether the girl had the same thoughts when she herself did not go to work, or missed that particular train for one reason or another.

To her credit, it was not like many people found themselves on the same train as her almost every day. She had seen a couple faces more than once, but none so regularly - she had paid close attention, because she could not believe herself for having this damn crush, and thought there must be more people who crossed her path regularly, she had just picked this one out of the crowd because she was undeniably pretty, seemed clever, and smiled at her whenever their eyes met.  
Now, whichever entered the carriage last generally nodded at the other. When it was Lexa, she tried to find a seat close enough that she could see her, without creeping in her space – because _that_ was not creepy at all, clearly. And somehow the stranger seemed to do the same, more often than not picking a seat in front of her when possible.

  
  


She finally learned her name when, one day, the train reaching the overground part of its journey, the girl's phone started ringing. Lexa tried not to listen in on the call, but the conversation, apparently with her mother, was quite animated – something or other about her life choices and picking art over medicine – until the girl, now quite wound up, mocked her interlocutor's tone with a “Clarke do this, Clarke do that, I'm no longer ten, mom, and this is actually working great for me!” before hanging up.

Clarke. That was an unusual name, for sure, but it suited her somehow. When the girl caught her smiling at her, though, she started apologizing in a low tone, as she had done that one time they had been pressed together by circumstances, clearly feeling embarrassed and thinking she had inconvenienced everyone around her with the conversation.

“It's quite alright,” Lexa almost automatically answered, to which Clarke blushed even more, and hid behind her sketchpad until they reached her stop. Lexa couldn't help smiling to herself after that.

A couple days later, with all other seats taken, she found herself sitting next to Clarke, and caught a glimpse of the sketchpad, fantasy landscapes in black and white. She marvelled at the girl's imagination, and did not fail to notice how she did not close the sketchbook, as she usually did when people sat next to her. They did not exchange a word, but Lexa somehow felt close to her, more so than she had with anyone in a long time. It felt like sharing something very private, being allowed into this girl's inner world, privileged.

  
  


Everything shattered when a couple weeks later, having left work later than usual, she barely caught her usual train, and found herself a few doors down from where Clarke usually sat. She caught a glimpse of her and was about to make her way to her, when she noticed she was not alone. No, some man, tanned skin and long hair, probably handsome by straight women's standards, was sitting with her. And it wasn't just that he was next to her, or even with her, but by the looks of it they must be together: he had a hand on her knee and as they were talking they were quite close to each other, as if they did not want others to overhear.

It took Lexa way too long to collect herself. Of course the girl could have someone, and was it even a surprise that she was straight, when like 90% of women were? Lexa had no right to be jealous, this girl wasn't even her friend, she only knew her name because she had overheard a conversation she had with someone else... If they'd ever exchanged ten words in total, that was it! She should have known letting her mind wander and fantasize would end badly.

But then she looked at them again, as if her eyes were drawn to Clarke against her will, and instead of the picture-perfect couple, she saw her pointedly remove the guy's hand from her knee and turn away when he tried to kiss her. Searching the carriage, her eyes met Lexa's with an expression maybe not exactly of distress, but that still screamed "I can't believe this is happening, please help me get rid of this loser".

It didn't take long for Lexa to devise a plan, taking advantage of the fact that the guy hadn't seemed to notice her. She hoped it would work, and that he wouldn't catch the lie first thing. She quickly made her way across the carriage, and when she overheard right before she would reach them, "It's been six months, Finn, will you drop it? I told you it's over!", she knew it would work.

"Hey, Clarke, babe!" She called as she came to stand nonchalantly in front of Clarke, "I didn't see you, I thought you ended up in another train!"

Clarke didn't waste a second to jump up and kiss her right at the corner of the mouth - from where he was standing behind her, Finn would probably think it was a real kiss - before hugging her.

"Thanks", she whispered in her ear, and when she pulled back, holding her by the waist, Lexa's smile was all but fake.

"Wh-who is this?" Finn stammered.

"Lexa, the new girlfriend," Lexa provided, hoping Clarke hadn't tried the new relationship card before and given names. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're Finn.” She tried to display her distaste for the man as plainly as possible, even if the glee at having Clarke's hand at her side threatened to take over. “I know for a fact Clarke won't hurt you..."

"It's only for Raven's sake," Clarke chimed in.

"But", Lexa went on, "if you keep looking at her like that, I may not be so kind."

He looked like he was about to protest, but he ignored her in favour of standing up in front of Clarke - who was still holding onto Lexa's waist, apparently not seeing that this simple touch made it so much harder for the girl to think. Then he started wailing again about how much he wanted to be with her, and they were good together, and it must be destiny that they met like that in the tube - fate trying to bring them back together. Lexa smiled at the thought but for very different reasons. It was all good, however, because her grin apparently unsettled him, and he took a step back.

Clarke sighed, and told him - for the hundredth time, judging by her tone - that they had only been good so long as she hadn't known about Raven, and he should be glad that they had not teamed up to murder him right there and then.

The more Lexa learned, the least she could contain her fury at the thought of how badly he had dared to treat Clarke, who from all she'd seen was an actual ray of sunshine. Her scowl made him back away even more. By some lucky circumstance the train came to a stop right then - Clarke surprised by the sudden jolt grabbed for the nearest pole as her hold on Lexa's hip tightened, and Lexa who had had the good idea of holding one of the handles hanging from the ceiling, came to wrap her own arm around her to keep her from falling.

Still, Clarke did not lose a second to snap at Finn, "that'll be your stop!" and he took his cue to scatter away. The next second the two girls were alone. Except for the few other occupants of the carriage, who had until then pretended nothing was happening, and were now looking at everything but them. Clarke let go of her and sat back with a sigh, indicating for Lexa the seat previously occupied by her ex.

"Thank you", she sighed. " I owe you one!"

"It's quite alright," Lexa replied, trying not to think about how weird it felt no longer to have the girl in her arms. She was not some kind of creep, damnit, and if she finally had a chance to get to know Clarke better... "Besides, I'm not sure how you could return the service, I don't think I've ever had such a crazy ex..."

"Tell me about it..." she sighed, and laid back in her seat, "no, I was thinking more like... A drink?"

Lexa could see the blush creeping on the girl's face, as if she knew she was crossing some kind of invisible boundary, and couldn't help finding her even more adorable. This whole situation was of course a bit awkward for them both, and Clarke felt as self-conscious as Lexa right now, no doubt. But she must have taken the smile that spread on Lexa's features as a yes, because she looked a lot more optimistic suddenly. Lexa watched her with raised eyebrows as she searched through her messenger bag, coming up with a felt pen with which she wrote her number on Lexa's hand right before hopping off at her own stop with a "call me" and a smile, leaving Lexa dumbstruck. Of course she could have pointed out that the girl could just as well ask for her cellphone to write the number in, but then she wouldn't have had her holding her hand, adorable in the way she was all focused in the task of writing properly in spite of the carriage's jolts.

  
  


Long after she had reached her own stop, Lexa still found herself smiling at the night's encounter. And was it so bad if she went for a drink with her stranger after all? Maybe they could make this a real date, and if nothing came of it they could always go back to being strangers on a train. But Lexa wasn't so scared anymore to try and be with someone again. Maybe because it felt so natural to hold this girl in her arms, because it made her heart feel things she hadn't allowed herself for a long time. Maybe because it was, as that idiot had said, a case of fate. But sometimes Fate needs a little nudge to help it along. She would definitely call.

  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> prompt from be-au-ties.tumblr.com : "‘We sit across from each other on the train/tube everyday and I’m not sure how but we’ve ended up with this weird, silent, almost-friendship where we share “wtf” looks when we see another passenger doing something weird or telling a bizarre story and a few times I’ve almost gotten you to break and laugh out loud, but today you’re sitting with someone and I think they must be your boyfriend/girlfriend because they are really in your space, but you shoot me a silent look that clearly screams “get this creep away from me” and I am all for that.’ au"
> 
> (I did think of the Highsmith book/Hitchcock movie when I chose that title, even though I don't think they'd team up to murder Finn. Although they might...)


End file.
